The Chosen One
by Mario and BFDI Bros
Summary: This AU(alternate universe) story is the same as the show except for a little tweak to "Mewberty" that spins Marco's and Star's relationship in a whole new direction. In addition, there are some other problems at hand, such as the mastermind Toffee and the Dark Magic within Star. A mysterious OC shows up. What will happen when the tension breaks?
1. S1E11: Mewberty

**I've added two scenes to the end of this chapter diving into Star's and Marco's thoughts. Enjoy!**

* * *

"It will end at approximately 3:56. Or it won't," Marco heard Glossaryck tell him as purple butterfly Star carried Oskar's car into the sky with him inside it.

"What do you mean it won't?"

"Well, if she finds her true love and she kisses him… it won't end. It's an instant marriage. She does a weird… sucking thing. Binds your souls, or something like that. More pudding?" He says it coolly, as if he is disinterested.

Oh no, Marco thought, this is it, she's never coming back once she kisses Oskar- His thoughts were interrupted by Oskar's car crashing down into the asphalt with him inside it. Star had a look of distaste on her face, and had obviously dropped him because he wasn't right. She turned around slowly, scanning everyone around her. She chased Alfonzo for a few seconds, but got a good look at him and abandoned pursuit. Then Marco felt her eyes on him. She stared at him and he stared back for a while, neither breaking the stare. Then Star moved. She flew toward Marco at top speed. Marco ran, but could only make it so far. Star's six hands clamped around his body, turning him towards her. She nodded, then slowly moved her face toward his. Macro heard a beep as Star's lips touched his.

Suddenly, normal, humanoid Star was kissing Marco. Realizing what happened, she quickly backed away. "Marco… I… I didn't mean that. You know that wasn't me. I couldn't control myself. Maybe because we live together, my Mewberty mind got confused-"

"You chose me."

"Well, um… yeah, I guess."

"That was chapter eleven. That's why you didn't want me to read it. You have a huge crush on me, don't you?"

Star kicked at the rocks on the ground, avoiding Marco's eyes. "This could have all been a mistake."

"Isn't the whole point of Mewberty to find your true love? The one you have feelings for deep down inside?"

"Let's just forget this ever happened."

Marco sighed, although reluctant. "Okay."

* * *

He would never forget that. Could it be true? Could Star really have feelings for him? Marco wasn't sure what feelings he had for her, but… it was complicated. He had been crushing Jackie for… what? Nine years now? But somehow, now, it felt wrong. Sure, Jackie was hot, but was she anything else? He didn't even know. He didn't even know anything about her.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts. _It's all just getting to me,_ he thought, _maybe I should follow Star's advice_.

He resolved to forget, but he didn't. As he finally dozed off, he dreamed about her purple skin, her six arms. It was actually… fascinating, almost. He couldn't control his subconscious, so it thought the thoughts he didn't dare to think. His dreams were the best ones he'd had in years.

* * *

 _Well, what a mess I've gotten myself into now_ , the Mewman Princess realized. She had ruined it for them; she had dropped the bomb too soon. No relationship could be real if the two in question had only been together for a few weeks, right? Why was she kidding herself? She could never end up with an Earth boy, anyway. He, of all people, deserved who he wanted, and that clearly wasn't her. She would just have to bottle up all her feelings and let him be with that Jackie girl.

Suddenly, the covers were suffocating, and she ripped them off of her. She lay on the bed with nothing covering her. Yet even the air suffocated her. Each breath was a living nightmare. She could barely breathe. And yet, she knew the thermostat read 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But the feeling didn't go away. She fell asleep for less than an hour, her body shuddering with each breath, barely managing to get enough oxygen.

She woke with a start after a nightmare. The only thing she remembered about it was Jackie's and Marco's faces, their lips dangerously close.

This was hell. Would she have to deal with this every night? She lay on the bed, her eyes wide open, four six hours straight deliberating that question. It became even harder to breathe; she must have pneumonia from inhaling her tears.

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think off the two added scenes? I think they provide some more insight as to where each of them are at emotionally. I have also added scenes to** "Blood Moon Ball" **and "** Freeze Day **". Check those out!**


	2. S1E15: Blood Moon Ball

"I really don't think you should go."

"I'm going whether you like it or not!" Star snapped. This was her one getaway from Marco. Who knew? Maybe she and Tom really could work something out, then the pain would be gone. It was the hope of a madman, but it was the only hope she had. Was she going mad? Three breathless nights in a row. She managed to be distracted during the day, but at night reality overwhelmed her. She had learned a sleeping spell just for the occasion. Last night she had tried it. She had had to cast it eight times throughout the night.

This was her one chance to maybe find reprieve from her situation.

* * *

Turning away from Tom, Star saw a humanoid creature with a weird face. He took her hands. Star moved the the music, which Tom hadn't yet changed, with the stranger. _Stranger_ seemed to be the wrong word. Star had the feeling she knew this person. Person. Of course, it was Marco in a mask! He took off the mask, confirming Star's realization. Even though Star was mad that Marco came for her, she didn't want to stop dancing with him, didn't want their hands to part. Star smiled wide. She was finally able to do something romantic with Marco, which is what she'd been wanting for a while.

"Marco," Star said. Her voice was dreamy.

"Yeah. We should probably get you home."

"Why don't we keep dancing?"

"Well, your ex-boyfriend's here, and I kind of-"

The mentioned person's voice boomed, "You stole my dance! That dance was meant for me and Star so our souls would be bound together!" He started to hover, his eyes turning red and being engulfed by flames. Fire danced upon his hands. As he pulled back to launch his flame and incinerate Marco, Star acted. Without rush, she froze Tom in an ice cube. Then, remembering why Tom convinced her to come here, she changed his 53 days anger-free to 0. Haughtily, she left with Marco.

Back home, Star let out her anger. "He's so infuriating sometimes!"

"I know. I tried to tell you not to go, but-"

"No, you're so infuriating! You don't trust me to do something on my own. I'm fourteen; I can handle a demon. Just because I don't know much about Earth doesn't mean I know nothing. I need a bo- I mean, I need a friend, not a hero."

"Yes, you're right, Star. I should have let you go. I misjudged Tom, and…"

"Well, not really. It was all a trick to 'bind our souls'. Even if he has changed, he's still selfish. But I knew that. I wasn't going to let him dance with me."

"I should have trusted you. I'm sorry I ruined your night."

"Well, it wasn't a total loss. We danced and bound our souls together." Star tried to laugh, but Marco could tell she was trying to cover up the sincerity behind her words.

Marco sat on the guard of the balcony with Star. "You know, it's okay to admit you have a crush on me."

Star quickly moved her hand away from Marco's, which her hand had been creeping toward, and stood up. "No, I don't." She walked into her room a bit too fast.

 _Maybe she really doesn't_ , Marco thought. Then he realized he was keeping Tom and Star apart for more selfish reasons. He sulked to his bedroom.

He lay down, sleepless, turning his thoughts over in his head. _She likes me_ , he decided eventually. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he awoke himself with his next thought: _Maybe she doesn't._ He continued to battle, unable to settle on any decision for more than fifteen seconds. At 2 AM, he finally snapped out of it. _Dios mío! I need a flower to pluck the petals from!_

He sighed, eventually landing upon one thought: _I'll save it for the morning._

* * *

Star had never gone to bed. She stood on a balcony hanging out from her room. She watched the beautiful night sky. The cool night wind whipped against her ball gown. It was cold, but at least it took away the suffocation of the air. She looked above the jagged horizon to the dark blue and white tapestry lining the sky. The stars, which she once considered beautiful, disgusted her. There were so many of them… so many just like her, so many better than her. She was just a tiny voice among a billion, nothing very special. But there was only one Sun. The other stars were immeasurable to it, at least where she stood. It dominated everything; it was what everyone lived for. People basked in its warmth. They were helpless without it. But who cared about one measly star? No one would even notice if one went missing. No one even knew its name except the astronomers, and even they didn't care much about any one star. Maybe… maybe she was the Northern Star, something important. No, she was just a tiny, unnamed star out there that no one would give a second glance at. Sure, she was a phenomenon… but she was taken for granted, and that wasn't anyone's fault. She was just another boring little star up there in the sky.

She scanned the night, looking for a particular white globe. It was nowhere to be found;only a faint outline was visible. No, she wouldn't have any help on this issue. She was alone in space. So small, so insignificant. Her problems were her own, and it wasn't her place to bother anyone else with them - especially the Sun.

And there she slept, her chin propped up on her palm, still wearing her poofy dress. She slept more than she had in the last three nights combined.

* * *

 **A/N: So... what do you think about my revisions!? I added the opening scene to show Star's desperation to escape her problem, and the two closing scenes. I really like my metaphors in the final scene. In case you didn't catch it, Marco is the Sun (his original name was Sol). Also, her mother (and anyone else she could potentially talk to) was represented by the nenexistent Moon. What did you think?**


	3. S1E17: Freeze Day

**A/N: I managed to add a little bit to this excuse of a chapter. :P Trust me, the next chapters are better!**

* * *

Marco watched himself nod, year after year, at Jackie Lynn Thomas. "Wow, he remarked, "I've been nodding for a long time."

"Well," Star added, "maybe you should move on to the next stage. _Talk_ to her?"

 _If Star's coaxing me farther into my relationship with Jackie, I guess she really doesn't have a crush on me,_ Marco thought. He thought he should feel relieved, but all he felt was a pit in his stomach. Why? Why did he feel this way? He loved Jackie, not Star! No. No. Something about that sentence was very wrong. He didn't love Jackie, did he? But if Star wasn't an option, which was painfully true, then he'd take the next best thing. And maybe he just needed to get to know Jackie a bit more. Plus, she was hot. Star wasn't. Those thoughts came from genuine love, right? Did he even know what love was?

It didn't matter; Star was not a choice. He had taken enough multiple-choice tests to know that if what you think the right answer is isn't an option, you still have to choose one of the others. And there was only one choice. Anyone in their right mind would laugh and be relieved for a multiple-choice question with only one answer. But to him, it was restraining. But being right wasn't what mattered; it was getting the A. And there was only one way to possibly get the A. If he had to, he'd even take a B.

* * *

There she was on her skateboard. Marco watched Jackie rolling into school, hearing each time the wheels hit a crack in the sidewalk. He started to nod, then remembered Star's words. "Hey, Jackie!" he snapped.

"Oh, uh, hey." She kicked away quickly.

Marco face-palmed. Why did he do that? He wasn't angry! Or was he? He looked at Star, and the animals for which her family was named fluttered in his stomach. _I'm being stupid,_ he thought, _she doesn't like me. End of story._

He turned back to Jackie, watching her short hair flying back in the breeze. "Jackie," he tried again. His tone was conversational. She stopped her skateboard and turned back. "Sorry about that; I'm not angry with you. Nerves, is all." He chuckled.

"What are you nervous about?"

"Uh… the math test! I studied my eyeballs out last night and still got half of them wrong!" The math test was a simple long division review quiz, but Marco had never quite gotten that concept.

Marco let out his breath, which he didn't know he was holding in, as Jackie rounded the corner.

"Wow!" Marco exclaimed to Star, "I did it! I didn't even stutter!"

Star forced a smile. "Yeah! Awesome."

Marco also forced a smile. "Yeah, I guess.

Both walked away disappointed and were sure the other didn't feel the same.

* * *

 **A/N: Here, I added a part to convey that Marco now views Jackie as someone to fall back on, and that he is finally realizing he has feelings for Star. While this chapter is annoyingly short, it packs a punch!**


	4. S1E24: Storm the Castle

**A/N Hi everyone! Here's another chapter for you, and this one is actually a decent length. I am hoping that all later chapters will be close to this length. This one really dives into the complexities of Star and Marco's relationship.**

 **I'm going to say again, thank you so much for all the support! I am no longer going to PM my followers and favoriters. For now, I will list them here. A special thank you to: All-Star Paragon, DarkMasterofCupcakes, GamingSoldier86, Hyper-Blossom Z, Majestic Yo-kai Fauntleroy, and the Crossover Guardian for Favoriting/Following this story.**

 **Also, a very special thank you to Hestiaisbestia267, Majestic Yo-kai Fauntleroy, and Rayah19 for following/favoriting my author page.**

 **One more thank-you to robertkellet and Guest, who reviewed this story (unfortunately, I will have to delete Guest's review because it contains cursing. If you review, please refrain from using the f and s words, otherwise your review will be deleted, since this is a T-rated story, and that language should not be allowed! Also, I am thirteen and probably shouldn't even be looking at anything with those words in it anyway. However, thank you for your review and I would be glad if you reposted it without the profanity.)**

 **And a final thank-you to everyone reading this; you all have been an inspiration for me to keep writing. There are 770 views now; let's try to get 1000!**

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 **I will answer any questions in the reviews here. Although his review will be deleted, my answer to his review is: Of course not! That would be MA content, which would get my account suspended. We do not want that, do we? :D**

"Sometimes, I wonder why we're even friends!"

That hurt. That hurt a whole lot. Star was being so stupid! Their lives were not worth a stupid, stupid sandwich! Why couldn't she be content with the sandwiches here on Earth? Marco was sure he wasn't being overly cautious as he usually was. He was just being logical! This was the Star that burnt down the entire kingdom, the Star that Marco could get so fed up with! But… not really. Marco could let it go that she wanted to risk her life for a sandwich, but what she said… It was almost like she cared about a stupid sandwich more than him. And she had no idea how much he cared about her. Maybe he didn't even know how much. He wasn't sure if it was anything more than friendship, but if even that was being called into question? Had he done something wrong? There were so many things about him that were unlikable. Maybe he just… wasn't good enough for a magical princess from another dimension. He was just an ordinary, maybe less-than-average human. Of course he didn't deserve her. Why had he ever even considered that she liked him? He was surprised to find tears in his eyes. He eventually fell asleep on a wet pillow without the covers on him, shivering in his sleep. It wasn't just because he was cold.

Marco was awoken by a ripping sound and heavy footsteps. They were not Star's feet; her steps were lighter. It wasn't his mom or his dad or anyone he knew. Then who was it? It could be no one good. He rubbed his eyes and managed to see a slim, pale green face, and then the world went brown, the color of the threaded sack thrown over his head. He tried to make muffled cries for help, but a hand with pointed fingers, claws almost, shoved a wad of the material into his mouth. He choked on it, barely working it up through his esophagus. His cries couldn't leave his mouth now, do he resorted to thrashing around. His efforts proved to be futile as his captor cut a rift between dimensions and entered it, dragging the convulsing sack behind him. As Marco finally accepted his doom, he had one thought:

She

Won't

Come

For me.

* * *

That was the first thing Star did, however, after finding out where he was from a giant creepy fly. His words echoed in her head: _See the boy alive again, bring your wand, come alone_. She had no choice. Of course, it was a trap. She could have been giving up her wand, and even her life for slim chance at saving Marco. She knew how well Ludo adhered to promises. But Marco was worth it. Star would march into certain death just so she would die beside him. For a reason that would forever be hidden to him.

Ludo. The moving sack. Marco. It was Marco. She had no thoughts, no feelings, no senses except: _I want Marco back. I want him now!_ Suddenly, Ludo and Buff Frog were on the ground, smoking. She had no idea how they got there, but she didn't care. She opened the wriggling package to find… tadpole babies. Even though they were cute, she was furious toward them, furious that they were not her beloved Marco… did she just think that? Beloved? Beloved was simply someone you care greatly for, just how _friends_ , and nothing more than _friends_ , do.

"What. Did you do. With Marco."

* * *

A sandwich. Not just any sandwich. It was the exact same one. Seeing that sandwich nearly brought tears to his eyes, but he managed to keep his cool around the reptilian villain. (My, do those two words clash!) "No, actually, I'm completely full."

Marco watched it on the table. It was a constant reminder of the friendship ruined between him and Star, at least for now. But there was nothing after now because Marco was never getting out of here. He would sit here as bait for a Star that would never come. Maybe if he could search for one optimistic outcome… we'll, if he was alone, he guessed he'd just have to take care of Toffee by himself. After a taunt, and being surprised after Toffee let him out of the chair, he punched him as hard as he could. All he managed was to break a few of his fingers and leave a smudge mark on Toffee's reflection in the glass. He was swept back into his seat. His hand… was healed. It must have been magic! But by who?

"You really should eat."

Marco wasn't sure he would ever eat another sandwich in his life. Since it wasn't Mexican food, he might actually be able to carry that out. "I don't want your stinking SANDWICH!" He swatted it against the glass wall. The toothpick holding the sandwich together somehow managed to stick in his hand, inflicting pain and causing blood to spew forth. That was the pain yesterday had brought him. That was the pain Star had brought him. His life was perfectly fine until _she_ showed up with all her fancy magic tricks, playing with his emotions, then dumping it all at the slightest provocation. Was that planned? He wished he had never met Star. Packing a school lunch would be much easier if he wasn't reminded of her every time he saw the bread and meat.

Until he saw her.

Until he saw her sprinting in through a magical plume of smoke, casting spells left and right, taking down Toffee one, and the determined, disgusted look on her face. Toffee lay on the floor, mostly motionless, but Marco saw him blink.

In between fighting monsters, Star tried everything to get Marco out of that wretched glass box, using caterpillar bombs, rainbow arrows… but none of them did as much as make a scratch on the glass.

Their gazes met, and Marco could see the longing in her eyes. She had come for him. She seemed to long for him. Was that enough to forgive? Her hearts lit up, and her skin started to change to a golden color. Her eyes changed; the pupils and irises turned gold and became a diamond shape comprised of four inward-curving lines meeting at sharp points. There was a determined smile on her face. Marco was stunned. She actually looked quite… beautiful like this. Marco's brain told him to fight down the thought, even though it was the one who had made the thought. That was his mind: two warring sides, one longing for Star, one knowing it was pointless.

The color and new features faded as quickly as they had come, leaving normal, humanoid Star. She bowed like an actor at the end of a performance, spun once clockwise, then planted her feet and aimed her wand at Marco's enclosure. A huge explosion of light erupted from her wand, and no one could see anything.

* * *

Star didn't know where the spell came from. Just like outside the castle with Ludo and Buff Frog, she let her body and her anguish for Marco take over. When she snapped back to reality, Marco's impenetrable enclosement - or what was left of it - smoked, most of it gone. She saw a look of amazement, and was that affection?, on Marco's face. She was so excited to see Marco free that she crashed into him, knocking him onto the floor. She grabbed his arm to pull him through, but the glass started repairing itself before he could get up. It enclosed around Marco's arm, squeezing it, and he had no choice but to let go. The glasslike box completed healing itself, sealing off the boundary between the two.

Stupid Star! Stupid and dumb and stupid! If she could have controlled her emotions for just one second and pulled Marco through, they would both be free and could escape together. But no, Star couldn't handle her emotions for her friend's life! Well, she was hiding her feelings for him all right. He didn't even seem to notice. But that was good. He should never know. That was for their own good.

It started to shrink. Star and Marco panicked, trying to stop the top of the box from descending any further, where it would eventually crush Marco. To death.

Star knew what she had to do. She jumped up on the wooden dining table in front of Toffee, making his porcelain plate wobble. He steadies it, although it is already still again. Without a word, Star dropped her wand onto the plate like it was a giant cockroach for him to eat. She had to do it. She wouldn't give up her wand to an evil mastermind for just anyone. She could count them on the fingers of one hand. Mom, Dad, Marco. Marco was like family. And he could be family one day. Star shook the thought from her brain. _No, he couldn't. He doesn't think of you that way, and he never will_. But whether they were best friends or something more, she still had to do this for him.

Apparently, Toffee didn't seem to have taste for Steamed Wand. He pushed the plate back toward Star. (After a minor disturbance. Apparently an oversized chicken had more of an appetite for Raw Ludo than Toffee did for the wand.) "I don't want your wand. Destroy it."

"What?"

Toffee made a face and used a voice worthy of a jumpscare from a horror film. "Surprise!"

Star was confused. "I don't even know how!"

"It's the first spell your mother taught you."

Star didn't want to know how he knew that. She was pretty sure he didn't find it while casually scrolling through her Facebook. That didn't matter now, though. What mattered was Marco's life. "The Whispering Spell," she breathed.

"Exactly. Marco's waiting!"

Star didn't need the reminder. "I'm sorry," she muttered to her wand, then uttered the spell. Tears ran down her face as the ghost of the Millhorse whispered in her ear. Then she remembered why she decided to do this in the first place. "Now let Marco go!"

Toffee casually pressed the button to stop the shrinking box. Marco was relieved as it returned to its original height. He started to walk out of a hole that had opened, but Star crashed into him. Her body colliding with his felt… kind of nice, actually. If he hadn't ended up on the ground, he might have enjoyed it. He imagined his arms wrapping around her, hugging her close. He snapped back to reality as she shut them inside.

What was she doing? "You really need to stop shoving me." Marco's voice came out a bit snappy; he was still mad about what Star had said to him.

He was about to confront her when she stated grimly, "It's not over yet."

Pink light erupted from her wand, hitting the ceiling. The light eventually reached the open sky. The light show stole the shine from everything else, becoming the brightest thing in the sky. The stars in the sky blinked out as Marco's eyes started failing to see them next to the pink glare.

The star in the center of the wand had turned from black to light blue while exploding. Now, the blue star cracked down the middle as if under immense pressure. Another crack spidered out from it. Then everything turned white, but not before Marco saw the smile on Toffee's face.

When the light cleared, the best friends were standing in the middle of a blackened wasteland that used to be a castle. Toffee had been true to his word: the clear enclosure was stronger, and it sustained the explosion. The walls were coated in black soot. Star managed to open the hatch she had closed previously, and the two stepped out. The only things left were the coat rack, which held Toffee's undamaged suit jacket, and the egg the overgrown bird had laid out of panic. Star turned Marco's face toward the egg. She watched for a cute little baby chick to pop out, only to instead see… Ludo! He was covered in goop and saliva from being digested. Star didn't want to know how he had gotten into the bird's egg-laying organ. Star suddenly realized she was squeezing Marco's cheeks and let her arms drop to her sides, embarrassed. She had just been getting him to look at something, but the connotation was dangerous. She shouldn't touch Marco's face like that again. She was interrupted by Ludo. "Where's my castle?!"

"It's gone."

"And your wand?"

"That's gone, too." Tears collected in Star's eyes as she remembered.

"We are no longer friends!"

"We never were," she said coldly. But in her mind, she was talking about Marco, and instead of what they never were, what they never will be. She took Ludo's scissors, opened a black diamond-shaped portal, and tossed him in, tossing away the thought with him.

A shooting star with a pink trail soared over Star's head. It was much too close to be a shooting star. That meant it could only be… the projectile crashed into the ground a hundred feet away, leaving a crater. She rushed toward the crater, knowing what it held. She heard footsteps behind her that she wished would go away. She would break down upon seeing the crater's contents, and would need his comfort, but that would mean intimacy.

She looked into the pit and, as the dust and smoke cleared, saw her blackened wand, half buried under the dirt. She felt tears in her eyes, and suddenly she didn't care. She looked into Marco's eyes, and he looked into hers. He enveloped her in a hug as her emotions poured out, not through words, not through tears, but through touch. Marco understood what she was going through. She basked in his warmth, taking as much as she could. She squeezed tighter. It felt so good and so right. This is what it would feel like if they were a… a couple. Star barely managed to think the word. It would never happen. Still, a small part of her tried to make its voice heard, saying, _never say never_. Marco squeezed her back, but now it felt suffocating. His arms around her felt like a symbol of how they could never be anything. Of this, she was reminded every second of every day. And it hurt. It hurt like nothing else. She pushed him away. Then she heard a small voice. It spoke a foreign dialect that Star understood, but Marco did not. She looked down to find the owner of this voice, which turned out to be a purple Millhorse, its mane in a ponytail. The miniature horse attached a horn to its head, then walked down into the crater. Finishing its monologue, it walked into a staircase inside Star's wand.

Suddenly, crystals shot up from the dirt, dwarfing the two friends. The pit they were in was soon surrounded by the enormous crystals. Then, one larger than the rest broke the turf just in front of them. Something was encased in it. A wand. The front of the crystal opened like wardrobe doors, revealing a new wand with only half of the star.

The look on her face was precious. As Marco gazed at the sky, the stars started to twinkle back into existence as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He shifted his gaze down a bit to find two knights in full suits of armor on black steeds approach the edge of the crater. They galloped down, one hugging Marco. After Marco questioning who he was, he took of his visor, revealing the face of his father.

"Oh, hi dad!"

Mrs. Diaz, after removing her visor, tried to dismount the horse. However, she got caught in the saddle, dangling upside down. She asked for a hug, and Marco complied, although stating, "This is awkward."

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," she countered.

As Star watched the family, she wished only one thing: her family would care as much as they did and come after her. Then she saw another knight. He opened his mask, revealing himself to be Dad. Of course he'd come! He wouldn't miss out on an adventure!

Marco helped his mother back onto the saddle and they rode home on the horses, Marco with his mother and Star with Dad. But as they rode away, each was thinking about one thing:

Marco was thinking about the sandwich.

Star was thinking about the suffocating hug.

 **A/N: Well, Starco seems pretty messed up right now. Can they get their relationship back on track? Check back for chapter 5! By the way, robertkellet, I guess it wasn't quite your vision of this chapter. Hang in there, buddy. :)**

 **A/N: Star is supposed to turn dark blue in the show, but I found that rather illogical, since her true Butterfly Form is gold. Also, the dark blue version of her is not quite worthy of Marco's "affection," in my opinion. She does look just a teeny bit creepy. Anyway, this is my AU, so I get to do what I want with it! Also, watching the episode back carefully, I realized the wand broke into THREE pieces, two large ones and a smaller one. Apparently, the left large piece and the smaller piece mended together to form Star's new wand. This could provide some interesting speculation… oh well, another topic for another time.**


	5. S2E1: My New Wand!

**A/N: A huge shoutout to** JolleIQ **for giving me consent to use ideas from his story,** _Farewell_ **, for Star's possible future at the end. Thank you! Check out his profile for SVTFOE and Phineas and Ferb fanfics!**

 **And a thank-you to some new followers/favoriters:** DarkMasterofCupcakes **(nice name),** Animortal28 **,** Slytherin Princess Stephanie **(Gryffindor all the way!), and** All-Star Paragon **. While I'm at it, I'll add** Hero Time 18 **from** _To Death and Back Again_ **. Huge thanks to all of you; the support means so much. I'll also throw in a thanks to my supporters over on The Battle for Wyrmroost:** wardentessa3 **,** Rayah19 **,** ZephyrVibes **, and** Rosadargento **. Although The War for Dream Island is basically obsolete, thank you to my one follower/favoriter** gumballtrash **.**

 **And a final, HUGE thank-you to** robertkellet **for writing reviews and chatting about the story with me. Your suggestions really make the story come alive, and I know there's at least one person out there anticipating the next chapter! Thank you so much!**

* * *

 **And now, the next chapter! I'm really proud of myself for being able to stretch it out this long. And at the end, I wrote something that was never mentioned in the show. Does this mean I will start diverging further from the plot? Absolutely! I want this to be an original story, so the following episodes may have very drastic changes. I may even write some chapters about nonexistent episodes, which will be expressed with a ".5". Here's chapter 5; hope you enjoy it!**

 **Oh, one more thing. I said something about trying to hit 1000 views last time. We hit it in just over a day!**

Disclaimer **: there are pieces of** JolleIQ **'s story** _Farewell_ **in here. Those scenes belong to** JolleIQ **and are not my own! He asks that you PM him if you want to use something from one of his stories, as I did.**

 **Some revisions and suggestions by** robertkellet. **Thank you for your help!**

* * *

No, no, no, no, no! Marco was locked in her closet of secrets. If anyone could sort out that mess and find the thing she dreaded, it was him. She heard him rummaging through her closet. Eventually he would find it. Eventually he would know. And it would ruin them. There was only one way. She had to dip down. If she didn't, she could do as good as kiss her best friend away… no. Not kiss. Why was avoiding these thoughts so difficult?

She channelled her panic and her hate if the situation, forcing a spell out of her fingertips. A green, jagged streak of light shot toward to keyhole, but only made it halfway before fizzing out.

"Oh," came a boy's voice from inside the closet as something fell. It sounded, _gulp_ , like a notebook. Or a… diary. "This has to be her secret!"

She heard the dreaded sound of pages ruffling.

" _Chapter 1: Mom is a poopyhead_ ," Marco read, "what kind of capitalization is this?" More pages ruffling. Star's heart was pounding out of her chest. Maybe he wouldn't find it. Maybe he'll get bored and move on-

" _Chapter 11: My Thoughts on Marco_. Hey, proper capitalization! See, Star, English class _has_ been beneficial to you!"

"Please don't read it, Marco. Please, please!"

"Sorry, but no. The little blue dude told me I had to read this for you to get me out of here. And I'm not staying in your closet for the rest of my life at the expense of your privacy.

"Anyway: _When I first met Marco, I really liked him. He was too careful, but we got along. Then I accidentally made a rain cloud pour down on his head. He left, fed up with me. It was the worst day of my life. But it actually wasn't too bad, though, because it turns out Marco's really good at fighting monsters_."

When she heard "it was the worst day of my life," she knew she was in trouble. She channeled all the emotions she had, no matter what kind they were. Why was this all happening to her? Why couldn't Marco just be able to accept her, then they could be together. He was so blind he couldn't even see what he had going for him. And instead he's with that stuck-up jerk Jackie Lynn Thomas. He just liked her because he thought she was hot. Marco was too stupid to see past that.

She hated Jackie.

She hated Marco.

She turned into her Butterfly form, but this time it was acid green with jagged, holey black wings and skull-shaped eyes.

From inside the closet, Glossaryck muttered, "That's not good. Not good at all."

Marco continued to read. " _The thing is, he managed to protect me. We make a great team._ " Then Marco came to words with a single line through them, which he read silently. _If I had a boyfriend, I think I'd want him to be like Marco_. His brain manipulated the sentence, leaving out the "like." He realized that the statement rung true for him with a few gender changes and Star's name. Sure, Jackie's hot, but… Star was different. Star was the definition of different, and he loved her for that. Yes, he used the word _love_. He wasn't even sure how he meant it, but he wasn't afraid to say so. Well, as long as it didn't reach Star's ears. His thinking was interrupted by a huge streak of neon green, singeing his makeshift clothing. Oh yeah he forgot about that. The closet door was obliterated and smoking.

But something else caught both of the teens' attention: a small, lifeless blue man with completely black eyeballs, smoke rising from his corpse.

"Glossaryck!" Star screamed. Did she really think those thoughts? The ones that killed Glossarck? The one that said she hated M… mmmm… she couldn't even think it anymore. And she didn't hate Jackie, either. She was just a nice girl who had, probably unwittingly, stolen the heart if the one she wanted.

A light shone from the Book of Spells. Glossaryck, alive, well, and annoying, rise from the pages. Star's brooding was interrupted by her gleeful squeal. "You're back! You're alive! Thank Corn you're alive!"

"Of course. Where the book goes, I go. And if the book lives, so do I."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"My welfare is none of your concern. However, it's _my_ concern, and I've noticed your magic has not been working… properly."

"Tell me about it."

"You have to control your emotions, Star. It could've been Marco instead of me. What would you do then?"

The teens' eyes met. They gave a wistful, admiring look to each other.

"I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"I could see your thoughts, Star. They weren't good ones. Tell that to yourself instead of what you were thinking, or everyone you love will end up dead, along with everyone else on Mewni and Earth."

Star's eyes grew wide, then became skeptic. "Why are you being straightforward with me?"

"Because I would rather your mother be alive than dead. And I've also taken a liking to Marco, here. If I were to be cryptic with you, well… let's just say the survival chances of the Diaz, Lynn-Thomas, and Butterfly families would plummet even more than they already have. I thought it was just the wand, but the Dark Magic is inside you, as you just showed. You have to learn to control it. Otherwise, believe me, you will be the next Eclipsa."

"So the green magic is actually… dark magic?"

"Of course! Are you really that dense?" Glossaryck let out an exasperated sigh. "I am very amazed by how lightly you're taking this. This could be the destruction of two dimensions!"

She sighed. "You know how I like to run from my problems."

Glossaryck thought for a second. "There's no running from this one, Star."

"Then how do I face it?"

Glossaryck was back to his riddles. "You know, it is rather cliché that love pushes away evil."

"Marco…"

"Trust me, this situation isn't as cliché as it sounds."

"I have to tell him, don't I?"

"For the fate of humanity and Mewmanity."

Marco had left at some point during the conversation, knowing he wouldn't be any help with the intricacies of dark magic and wanting to put on some actual clothes. Star hadn't even noticed he'd left until he walked back toward them. "Star needs to tell you something," Glossaryck prompted.

"Yeah, there's _definitely_ a lot to talk about after today," Marco responded, then looked at her curiously.

"Well, you see, the truth is… I actually do have a… I have a... a-an apology to give you! I'm really sorry I went all "hate mode" and everything. No hard feelings?" Star glanced at the blue man, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"N-no! Yeah, it's okay, I guess." Marco was a bit scared of her, but when his eyes met hers, he lost himself in them, wearing a lovey expression. The gesture was lost to Star. "Well, I'll… go to my room. Leave you two to your… magic stuff."

Star looked at Glossaryck, expecting to see frustration but instead seeing disgust mixed with exasperation, which surprised her. Even normally-unemotional Glossaryck was getting worked up about this! When the little blue man spoke, his tone was cold and unforgiving. "We are going to the Dimension of Time. Now."

* * *

"O, Eyeball of the Timeline, please show us the most likely future of Star Butterfly."

Eyeball of the Timeline? Did he make that up? Nevertheless, the eyeball clamped down on her. She watched the walls in horror. She was in the same form she'd been in earlier while opening the closet door. She was holding a doll shaped exactly like Marco. It let out a muffled scream. In a flash that lasted no longer than half a second, she saw herself standing over Marco, who was covered in a pool of red. When the flash ended, she was chasing Jackie in the aforementioned form. Jackie suddenly collapsed. Star saw her own black lips moving silently, then the blood spewing from Jackie's leg as she plunged the blade into it. She couldn't look anymore. She closed her eyes and dislodged the creepy eyeball.

Star laughed nervously. "But there's, like a two percent chance of that happening, right?"

"Star. It's your most likely future."

"No, no. That can't be true!"

"And it's the only future in store for you if you don't confess to Marco."

"Why can't you just do it for me?!"

"Would you like to see that future?"

Star's voice grew small. "Point taken."

* * *

 **A/N: Here you go, another subplot. Now there's the deal with Toffee and his... abilities, the Starco relationship, and Star internally battling with the Dark Magic deep inside her.**

 **P.S. Considering this line: "And instead he was with that stuck-up jerk Jackie Lynn Thomas. Now, before you accuse me of inaccurate character portrayal, please recognize that Star is venting. I do NOT think Jackie is stuck-up or a jerk. 'Maybe a bit tactless at times' is the farthest I'd go. I'd have to say, I might be offended in Marco's shoes during Bon-Bon the Birthday Clown when she spits out his malt, declaring it "disgusting," and mentioning all his mess-ups but never really forgiving him for them. The thing about Jackie is that her personality is so laid-back that if she does do something like that, it's taken lightly. So, there's a bonus on my thoughts about Jackie for you!**

 **P.P.S. Was Star's evil butterfly form based off of Queen Chrysalis from MLP? Of course not! Don't be stupid... ummmm, I may have drawn some ideas from there.**

 **The next chapter will be HUGE on drama. Huge plot twists you'll never expect! Muahahahaha! See you then!**


	6. S2E2: Ludo in the Wild (Part 1)

**We have some new followers/favoriters! Thank you ravangel, Sally B. McGill, and Star's Keyblade4114 with a special thanks to Hero Time 18, the first person to favorite two of my stories (** _The Chosen One_ **and** _To Death and Back Again_ **).**

 **Some revisions and suggestions due to** robertkellet. **Thank you for your help!**

* * *

 **A/N: This takes place about a week after** "My New Wand. **" It roughly corresponds to the events of "Ludo in the Wild," but there has been a time gap. To accommodate this, Ludo already has his spider and his bird.**

* * *

It was a sleepless night, just like the last six. _Hate. Hate. Hate. Go away! Why?_ Glossaryck was wrong. He didn't understand. Confessing to Marco would only bring her more pain, more hate. Maybe some part of her held on to the fact that until he said no, there was the chance he could say yes - but any confidence it built was negligible.

Star started thinking again. _Glossaryck doesn't know what will happen if I confess. He's trying to take away the hate so I don't end up like that. I have to find my own way to take away the hate. Maybe this is all just another one of his riddles making me get it by myself. Well, I can do this on my own. I just have to destroy the cause of the hate._

The next morning, Star awoke to the sound of crunching. She rolled over toward the noise, groaning. The noise was coming from near the alarm clock, which she found read: 10:30. She was lucky it was a Saturday; she'd overslept! And yet, she'd only had six hours of sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up. She finally found the source of the crunching: a tortilla chip in the mouth of her magic instructor. He spit out the chip, which had once been a roughly isosceles triangle.

"You know, most chips aren't even worth eating." His countenance brightened as he pulled out a perfectly equilateral-triangle-shaped chip. His bright pink lips opened in an awed gasp. "The perfect chip!" He made a loud "Ahhhhhhh" sound as he slowly inserted the "perfect chip" into his mouth.

Star was drowsy, but she was focused on her mission. She gathered enough energy to snatch the chip away from him. Glossaryck gave her the "What do you want?" look. "I need you to show me the All-Seeing Eye spell."

"No, Star. That's Dark Magic. I can't show you…"

Star had placed the chip between her teeth, threatening to bite, therefore ruining its perfect shape. She let it slip between her teeth and fall into her hand. "Were you saying something?"

He sighed. "I'll show you the spell."

Star's excitement and nervousness cleared away the grogginess as she got out of bed, sitting down beside the book. Glossaryck, albeit hesitant, flipped to the page with the correct incantation on it. "It's really simple. Just think of who you want to spy on and say the words. Also, don't point your wand at anyone."

"Alright." Star memorized the four lines, then spoke the spell:

I call upon the All-Seeing Eye To rip a hole into the sky, To reveal to me that which is hidden, To unveil to me what is forbidden!

A portal opened in front of her, showing who she'd been looking for: Ludo. By moving her wand, she managed to scan his surroundings. She saw - were those a giant eagle and a giant spider?

Once she had a good understanding of the area, she cut a dimensional portal with her scissors while concentrating on the landmarks she had seen through the preceding spell. She stepped through the portal, hoping for the best.

She stepped onto the loosely-packed snow, her feet sinking into it. Trudging through it was had work. As she rounded a bare tree, she saw Ludo, made tiny by the distance and his natural size. She trudged through the snow, trying to keep her footfalls quiet. As one could imagine, she made an awful lot of noise. Ludo turned, seeing her about twenty feet away from him. A confused look crossed his face. "Star… what are you doing here? Whatever. I have my own wand now! Hahaha!"

The spectacle was underwhelming. He mounted his eagle, who started to take off. It grabbed the giant spider in its talons and rise into the sky.

Star was still running toward them, the snow hindering her. She neared one of the spider's legs and leaped for it.

She landed face-first, leaving a foot-deep imprint of her entire body in the snow. Annoyed, she climbed out and muttered, "Super Long-Range Narwhal Blast!" Most of the narwhals fell short, but the high-pressure water managed to knock Ludo's small frame off of his mount. He fell twenty feet down, leaving a three-foot imprint in the snow. He weakly stood. He was being held at wand-point. "What do you want?"

"I came to request an alliance."

* * *

Marco knew Star had been sleeping late recently, but when lunchtime came around, he became suspicious. Star never slept in that late - even when she was up until three in the morning! Marco walked up the stairs cautiously. Hey, it never hurt to be cautious. He reached the door and presses his ear to it. No sound could be heard through the door. Marco became panicked. _She's just asleep still_ , he told himself. He knocked loudly on the door. A knock that would wake anyone up, especially in the light of midday. No answer. He burst through the door, ready to fight anyone restraining her. But there was no one to fight. There was no one there at all. Only a pink note written in blue ink on the dresser:

 _Marco, don't worry about me. I left of my own accord. I may not come back. If not, just don't come after me and try to forget about me._ _DON'T come after me. I mean it._

How could he, anyway? There were no dimensional scissors anywhere. He was stuck in his dimension. Like the loser mortal he was. If only he could be like Star. There was only one word for her: amazing. He smiled. Maybe if Marco was more like her, she wouldn't have left him. But Marco was Marco, just a completely unexceptional human. Maybe he would be worthy of her, then. If only, if only…

* * *

A look of confusion crossed Ludo's face. "An… alliance?"

"What do you want more than anything else right now?"

"My castle back. And my minions. And… I just want Toffee gone! Wait, isn't he?"

"He's not. And I want him gone, too."

"So you're saying…"

"You fly us over to Toffee and we take him out together. He must have escaped We both have a wand. Can you control it?"

"Well… no."

"Then don't point it toward me."

The murderous look on her face was unmatched by any other of hers before it. Even Ludo was alarmed. "S-Star? Are you okay? Something seems really off with you."

"Never better." Everything about her was so much the opposite that it was almost funny.

Ludo wasn't going to back out now; he finally had an opportunity to take down that annoying lizard. And maybe even get Star's wand. Maybe that one would work better than his. "Alright. Climb on." His eagle squacked in protest at Star mounting her, but Ludo managed to calm her down. At Ludo's command, the four beings of entirely different species soared away to where the remnants of his castle lay.

They approached the location of his former castle. As they flew, the trees cleared, revealing… No. It couldn't be. Ludo's eyes must have been deceiving him because he saw his castle, rebuilt and standing in all its glory. He almost drooled at the sight of it. "My castle!" His face was that of a child's on Christmas morning. He turned around to see Star's reaction. It was one of shock. "How could it be?"

"It could've only been magic," she replied, "but whose?"

The question was left unanswered as they touched down outside the castle, their feet crunching on the grass. Ludo stared up at his castle in awe, eager to retake it. "It's so beautiful!" He ran up and hugged one of its walls.

Star gave him a weird look. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay."

Ludo and Star walked the hallways he knew so well. Every picture of himself, every door, every corner of hallway brought back memories of when he had ruled this place. They walked through the bedroom, - he remembered sleeping in that bed - the throne room - he remembered sitting on that throne, and finally the dining room, where he remembered sitting on the dozen pillows on his special chair eating… alone. Come to think of it, none of those memories brought a smile to his face. The only memories that ever did were his mother kissing him goodnight, playing with his brother Dennis in the backyard… he sighed. It was too late to go back now.

His family would never love him.

* * *

Marco would never love her.

* * *

Star would never love him.

* * *

The three of them were in the dining room of the castle where it all happened, whether it be physically or mentally. The sandwich, the embrace, the castle… none of it was right. The three things all brought sorrow to them. They wanted nothing more than to be loved. And this place had taken it away from them. Yet, in a way, it had been their own choice.

* * *

 **A/N: Everyone, thank you so much for your support! We have broken 2000 view in six days. That's really incredible! I'm going to go back and add some more content my first three chapters. Part two should be out soon, but it will be delayed while I do that. See you next time!**

 **And coming up: a little treat for any Jarco fans, if any are even reading this Starco-oriented fic. Starco fans, hang in there!**


	7. S2E2: Ludo in the Wild (Part 2)

**Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading this! I know I've said it a million times with different quantities, but we're at nearly 3,000 views in the first twelve days. I'd like to thank EVERYONE reading this!**

 **We've got some new favorites and followers! An additional thanks to RenegadeForLife and HummingFeather!**

 **We also have a new favoriter and follower of my author page: HummingFeather. A HUGE additional additional thanks to you!**

 **And thank you to DarkMasterofCupcakes, who helped fix an embarrassing error. (Let's keep this between us.) ;)**

 **And while I'm in the mood, I'll thank robertkellet for the millionth time for sharing your thoughts and improving the story. Remember, if anyone has a thought or question about the story, please review and I'll be happy to reply through PM or on the next chapter!**

* * *

 **And now, what you've all been waiting for... the conclusion to Chapter 6!**

* * *

She was officially gone. He was unworthy of her and she'd eventually gotten fed up with him. She was probably back in Mewni telling her parents all about the situation and laughing at the thought that he might have had feelings for her.

It was time to pick the option he was given. (A/N: Re-read chapter 3.)

He dialed the number he had always been afraid to dial. The number the girl of his dreams had written in his yearbook last year. His finger hovered over the "call" button. He pressed it. He put the phone to his ear. Surprisingly, he wasn't even nervous.

The phone rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Four ti-

"Hello?"

"Hey, this is Marco. I just… honestly, I just need to talk to someone right now. Star just left without notice, and she's probably not coming back…"

"Hey, you know what? Do you want to come over to my house? Then we can chat… you know, in person."

An old excitement welled up inside Marco. "Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great."

"You know where I live?"

"I can always ask Janna."

He heard laughter on the other end.

"But yeah, I do."

"Okay. See ya."

"Bye."

The excitement continued to well up until the pressure became too great and forced itself out through any opening possible, mostly his mouth. He squealed, something he never did, and jumped up in excitement.

He ran down the stairs.

"Is everything alright with Star?" Angie Diaz questioned.

"Yeah. Uh… she'll be back soon. I'm going to head over to a friend's house."

"Okay!" his father said.

"Wait!" His mother protested, "Who are you going to-" Marco was already out the door.

He jogged along the sidewalk. Echo Creek was a small town; almost any of its residents were within walking distance. Seven minutes later, Marco stood outside Jackie's door, panting. He had seen this door many time but had never seen beyond it. He pressed the doorbell and heard a chime from within. The door opened, revealing a girl with blond hair containing an aqua streak. The only one for him now.

* * *

"Where is he?" Star dashed through the hallways in desperation, opening each door, looking inside, and dashing to the next, with Ludo scampering behind her. She only stopped when all the doors had been opened and proven empty. "No, no, no, no! He has to be alive! The hate has to be coming from somewhere!" She crouched on the ground, crying into her arms; her last hope was gone. She would be stuck with this hate forever. She would become the monster Glossaryck had showed her. All she had to do was let it happen. And so she did. Additional green limbs sprouted, and so did wings. Her eyes turned a neon green, her skin turning a nasty shade. She was only stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Ludo's.

"Don't make the same mistake I did."

The greenness and extra appendages vanished. Ludo was met with only a curious look.

Ludo sat down beside her. "I never quite fit in with my family. My father hated me from the moment I was hatched. They named me Ludo because the letter L is the most disgraceful to kappas. Maternal instinct is the only reason I'm still alive. Otherwise, my father would have ended me. I was born short and without wings, both disgraces to the kappa race, although my height was the most offensive. I never did my chores right around the house - always broke the dishes, ripped the bedsheets, spilled the tea. I never did enough. My family viewed me as… worthless. So they cast me out; I was rejected by my own family. I succumbed to the hate, living out in the wilderness. Don't do the same. You'll never be happy and always wish you could go back. Half the time, I wish I'd just die so I didn't have to do it anymore. It never happened. My girls are the only ones I have now, and they don't even speak. They tried to kill me countless times, at first.

"If I had one wish, it would be to have my brother Dennis back. He was the only one who understood me." Genuine tears glistened in his eyes. "I'd give anything. Literally anything."

Compared to Ludo's, Star's story didn't seem too bad. "There's… this boy I liked." You probably can't relate-"

"No, I've liked many girls. They never like me back."

"Well… he has a different girlfriend and he's obviously been rejecting me." Was it really obvious? Maybe it was all just her perception.

"You feel so small, don't you."

"You do. So… insignificant."

"Small, insignificant, worthless… they're all the same, aren't they?"

There was no way to answer that but with a sigh.

"Well, I can't live in here. The memories are too painful. I guess I'm going back out into the wild."

Star formed two things with her wand: a canteen and a Chinese take-out box. The magic was pink, which she hadn't seen in weeks. "They refill themselves. You'll never go hungry or thirsty - maybe just tired of chow mein and water."

"Thank you, Star."

A smile crept across her face. "No, thank you, Ludo."

He smiled too.

The two new friends approached the exit. At the opening to the outside, they were stopped by a figure swathed in green silk.

* * *

The two teens sat on the luxurious leather couch together. Jackie's parents were out of the house, her father at work and her mother buying groceries. The Lynn-Thomas family was very wealthy. They had a two-story house with six bedrooms, even though only Jackie and her parents lived there. The vaulted ceilings rose fifteen feet above their heads. Also up there was an expensive golden chandelier, tinkling in the gusts of air from the ceiling fan. Yeah, the Butterflies were rich, too, but Jackie's family flaunted it. Star wouldn't put up with a house like this. And… neither would Marco. He had never coveted being rich. As long as they could pay their taxes and take vacations every now and then, he was fine. But he wasn't here to marvel at Jackie's house. He was here to talk with her.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Jackie started.

"Well… when I woke up this morning, Star was gone. All she left was this note." He showed it to her.

"Why?"

"Well… I think she just got tired of being around me and left for Mewni." He sighed heavily. "After all, I'm not very interesting."

Jackie surprised him with her answer. "Well, I think you're interesting."

A smile broke out on Jackie's face and Marco's face turned red.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." Jackie's comment only made him blush more.

Cute? Did Jackie Lynn Thomas just call him cute? That could only mean one thing: she liked him. It was all he'd ever dreamed of. Right? Why was he convincing himself?

When his thoughts cleared, he realized that his lips were touching hers. Jackie had a skeptical look on her face from Marco's lack of a reaction. Then he reacted. He was kissing Jackie! He was ACTUALLY kissing her! He pinched himself. He wasn't dreaming. They remained thus for almost a minute, Marco savoring the kiss. He could definitely get used to this! Some defeated part of his brain whispered, Is this genuine? Of course it was! Why wouldn't it be? It felt pleasurable… but what did he have to compare to? He ignored that minuscule part of his brain and enjoyed the rest of the kiss.

Jackie eventually broke away. "You wanna play some video games?"

He wasn't particularly adept at them, but he'd do anything if it was with Jackie. "Sure."

* * *

"You won't find Toffee here." The voice was that of a small girl, although she was just as tall as Star. She was unidentifiable, as her face was hidden in the shadow of her cowl. "You won't find him in this dimension, or any other one. At least, not in the form you know."

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Who are you anyway?" Star questioned skeptically.

"My name is Gia. I was one of Toffee's servants. Slaves, really…"

She kept talking, but Star wasn't listening. Gia… where have I heard that before?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall where she had seen or heard the name. When she looked back at Gia, Star saw tears streaming down her face. Her hood had shifted enough for Star to see the liquid reflecting the sunlight.

"It was a harsh life, but it was all I had. Now I have nothing." She sniffled. "I guess I'll just be left here to die in the woods."

Star's brain was kicking into overdrive. A Mewman servant? She'd never seen a Mewman servant with Toffee, only monsters. It didn't make sense. Toffee despised Mewmans! And her words… they were so… rehearsed. They played to her emotions perfectly.

"My parents, she continued, "they died when I was very young. I don't even remember the incident. I've been in an orphanage most of my life. Then, finally, he came along. I thought, at last, I was saved! But I soon discovered that he was no father to me. Her tears were now drying up.

"It's okay," Star assured despite her reservations. We'll take care of you.

"We? Ludo asked incredulously.

"Me and Marco." she clarified. "Marco…" Her tone grew darker. "We should get back home."

Star cut a dimensional portal with her scissors. Ludo left with his magical take-out box and drinking vessel. Star stepped through the portal. Before Gia did the same, she tossed the onion she had been holding into a nearby bush. She froze. Had anyone seen her? It seemed not.

As she stepped through the portal, the spectator rubbed his chin.

* * *

 **A/N: And... there's my OC! She definitely has a shroud of mystery around her. She will play a HUGE role in the upcoming chapters. You'll just have to wait and see!**

 **Also, I'm not sure about Jackie's last name. It's either Lynn-Thomas or just Thomas (with her middle name being Lynn). For the purpose of this story, she lives in the Lynn-Thomas household! And the scene with her and Marco... bet you weren't expecting that! Once again, fellow Starco shippers, hold strong! We may lose the battle, but we will win the war! Or will we? *Evil laughter* The next chapter will have a sweet Starco scene in it. Hopefully that will help you through all this!**

* * *

 **Next time, Star and Marco confront each other with Star's leaving and Marco's... entanglement with Jackie. And what about Gia? Star continues to have suspicions toward her. And... who was that "spectator?" Find out next chapter!**


	8. Rouge Chapter: The Reunion

**Well... it's about to get crazy, guys. This is my first "rogue" chapter, meaning it doesn't correlate to any episode from the show. Things get really heated up. The state of a Starco is determined, and Gia's suspicious acts start leading to a climax! Thank you to everyone reading this; it means so much!**

 **Aaaaaand... we've got some now followers and favoriters! Thank you:** SonicMax **,** magnumhawk **, and** michael raffelseder **(the dot makes the site think your username is a link, so I omitted it and replaced it with space)** **!**

 **Double thanks** **to** michael raffelseder **for also following my author page!**

 **Anyone feel like reviewin'? Don't hold back! Even a little one-liner counts! No pressure. :D**

 **Some revisions and suggestions accredited to** robertkellet **. My thanks to you is infinite!**

 **And... get ready for a ride!**

* * *

Marco's phone rang. He ignored it, returning to his video game with Jackie.

"Nice one, Marco!"

Marco smiled ear-to-ear. Any compliment carried ten times as much weight if it was from Jackie.

It rang again. He tapped the "Decline" button. Before he could check who it was, a noise came from the television.

"Marco… some help here!" Marco returned his thoughts to blasting enemies. They managed to hold off the attack.

It rang again. Now frustrated, Marco pressed the pause button. "Sorry, Jackie. I think I need to pick this up." He glanced at the phone. "Oh, this is just typical Star. It's probably nothing important, but if I don't pick up she'll just keep calling me." He pressed "Accept" and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

He heard Star's bright voice coming from the other end: "Hi, Marco! Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm over at Jackie's house."

Her tone remained bright. "Jackie's house? Cool! Are you having fun?"

"Yeah! Sooooo much fun!" He whispered into the phone, "I got a kiss from Jackie!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you're having _so_ much fun with your _girlfriend_." Her bright tone became more forced. "Sorry to break it up, but how about you come back home? Right. NOW!" She hung up.

Oh. He had messed up pretty badly. He wasn't used to hiding things from Star. It just… came out! "I'm sorry, Jackie. I… I need to go. He was out the door before he even finished.

Jackie sighed, then pressed resume and successfully finished the level on her own.

He opened the door to see Star's face inches from his, her foot tapping. She said nothing.

"Look, Star, what you did wasn't fair! You're playing with my emotions, then just CRUSHING my heart when you feel like it. You're USING me! Aren't you supposed to be back in Mewni right now? Oh. Now I see what you're doing! You want to use me even more!"

A small voice came from behind Star. She stepped out to reveal a slim and tall frame wrapped up in green silk. "She loves you."

Marco's eyes widened.

Star's foot ceased tapping. She maintained her composure. "You got it all out?"

Marco nodded.

That instant, the tension broke. "Yes! I DO love you! I've been holding in my feelings all this time for YOU! So I didn't break you and Jackie up. I thought you would get over her and see who really loved you! But you're so blind! I left you out from the mission to protect you! I thought I was going to die. And even if I didn't, I was scared something was going to happen to you because of my hate! Can't you see that everything I do is for YOU!?" Tears stung the girl's face. Her voice grew small. "Take care of Gia, here. I'll probably end up dead of my own accord before she finds a new home. It's the only thing I ask of you."

She turned to walk away, but Marco grabbed her arm. "Star, this is crazy! You can't go through with this!"

Star forced a smile. "I'd only be doing it for you," she whispered. She broke away, saying in a fake bright tone, "Have fun loving Jackie with _all_ your heart!" Her feet pounded up the stairs.

Marco sprinted after her. _No, no! This can't be happening!_

Marco wondered how many of her smiles were forced. His times with Star flashed before his eyes. _I really was blind._ He could only hope to stop her before it was too late.

Gia saw the two were gone. She smirked. "Time to pursue my own interests."

* * *

Star made it into her room. She slammed the door, locking it with a spell. The tears ran down her face. This was it. The only way to get rid of the hate. The only way to keep everyone she loved from getting hurt. The hate was embedded in her DNA. The hate was _her_. The only way to rid the world of her hate was to rid the world of _her_. She pulled her spell book out from under the bed. She opened it, and Glossaryck popped out. "Glossaryck, I need a death spell."

"No, I am not letting you commit suicide."

"I'm not committing suicide! I need to kill...uh… Toffee."

"A death spell won't work on him." Glossaryck said in his signature flat voice.

"Just give me the spell!"

"If you want the spell, you'll just have to flip through every page of the book." He shrugged.

Star started flipping through the book rapidly.

"Star, you'd better hurry up. Marco's making it through that door in 10… 9… 8…" As he counted, he formed his arms into the hands of a clock, ticking every time he counted a number.

Star started to sweat. She flipped through even faster.

"7… 6… 5… 4…" Glossaryck's arms were twisted at highly unnatural angles.

Finally, Star made it to the last section in the book. Eclipsa's. she tugged on the chain as hard as she could. Tears ran down her face as Glossaryck continued to count. "Please, Glossaryck, don't!"

Star didn't even know what she was looking for anymore. She pulled with all her might, but the chains were magically infused and unbreakable. And still, he continued to count. "3… 2… 1…" he snapped, breaking the lock spell on the door. Macro tumbled inside. "Star! Dios, when your spell broke I thought you had died!"

"Sorry to upset you. I would be if this jerk Glossaryck had given me the spell!"

The said blue man spoke evenly: "I take offense to that."

"Star…" the boy continued, "please, don't do this. Your life is worth living. If that's not enough… do it for me. I can't do this without you. You mean so much to me."

"That's a lie."

"It's true! I couldn't live without you!"

"Go away, Marco."

"No, I'm staying here. I'm not going to-"

"Go away!" she screamed. The black wings on her back sprouted. Her skin tone started to change.

Marco, oblivious, tried to continue. "I'm not going to let you… oh." He shuffled back in fear from Star completely in her Dark Butterfly Form. She raised her wand. Her lips moved.

Marco remembered the words he had just uttered: _I couldn't live with without you._ He suddenly grew calm, opening his arms wide. _If I can't get my Star back, I don't want to live._

She thrust her arm forward. She hesitated. Then she snapped out of it. His normal, happy Star fell to the ground.

It wasn't love that did it. It wasn't friendship. It wasn't kindheartedness or guilt or self-control or overpowering her hate. It was no redeeming quality, but rather a small blue man. His mouth was open wide, and Marco could see the last onyx black tendrils of Hate retreating into his mouth. There was a scream, and it wasn't Star's or Marco's or Glossaryck's. The scream trailed off as Glossaryck clamped his mouth shut, trapping the gas or liquid or _something_ in his mouth. He burped, then his head hung, his eyes fading to black.

"Glossaryck!" the princess screamed. She shook him. "No! Here's the spell book. It's _here_. Why won't you come back?!" Tears streamed from the speaker's eyes, which were back to their normal shade of blue. They almost seemed… bluer. But that was impossible.

"There has to be a way to get him back!" She flipped through the book which reminded her of her dead friend. After a minute, she slumped back. The tears pooled on her skin and on the ground beside her. The look of determination usually present in Star's face appeared, but only at half the strength. "I'll have to make my own spell."

She stood, pointing her wand at the limp figure. " _Glossaryckus Returnicus Vivious!_ " Nothing happened. " _Glossaryckus Returnicus Vivious_!"

Still, nothing. A look of despair crossed Star's face. " _Super_ _Narwhal Blast_." Nothing. She finally turned to Marco, her hope gone.

Marco had noticed something, but hesitated to bring it up. The hearts on her cheeks were gone.

The hearts, her wand not working, the way her butterfly form vanished instead of turning good… it could only mean one thing. "Star… you're not a magical princess anymore." The realization on her face was almost to much to bear. She rushed to and embraced him.

Marco stood there awkwardly. She didn't deserve this. But she needed it. Oh, how she needed it. So he gave her it. They stood in an embrace, their first one since the incident at Toffee's castle. But this one was different; they both enjoyed it.

Star watched the snow fall. It was beautiful. At least, for the first few minutes. It was kind of funny how there were all these snowflakes, unique and beautiful, but they all ended up in one boring slush of sameness. There was nothing special about her. She was just a boring, don't-give-a-second-glance human. She was no good for Marco. He needed someone special. And what had she done to deserve him? She counted on her fingers. _I lied to him. I questioned our friendship. I abandoned him. I tried to kill him_. Any one of those could be unforgivable. But all four… forget it. She just had to accept the truth: she would never be with anyone because who wanted to marry a horrible person? That's what she was. A horrible person. Even without the Hate inside her. And according to her mother, she was the only one of royal lineage to lose control of the Hate that they were born with since Eclipsa. Every Mewman princess had an inborn Hate manifestation. That was what made them special. But none of the others had had any problem with it. She was that bad of a person. And for ruling Mewni, ha! Luckily, a royal couple from another kingdom had had twins. She'd be replaced, just like that. She was truly ordinary, no-lower than ordinary.

She heard footsteps behind her. It was Marco. He walked up and set his elbows on the sill next to Star's. Their elbows almost touched, yet the two were miles apart. "It's beautiful, isn't it."

Star only grunted.

"Just like you." His hand wandered up to her face to brush back a strand of hair. She turned abruptly, not letting him touch her. Her hands touched her blank cheeks. "Don't be nice about it," she said coldly.

"Star…"

"Get. Out."

He opened his mouth then closed it again. He turned to walk out. Over his shoulder, he mentioned, "We need to talk."

"Not. Now."

He left.

Star heard a bang from the other side of the wall.

She couldn't stay here torturing Marco. She had to leave.

* * *

Downstairs, Gia held a struggling laser puppy in her arms. She opened her mouth impossibly wide and ate the puppy whole. That was the last one. Gia pulled up her right sleeve to reveal a tiny shard embedded in her arm. It glowed. She smirked. _Let's test this out._ She thrust forward her arm, freezing the toaster in an ice block. She clenched her hand slowly, unfreezing it. She turned on a potted plant , muttering a magical curse. The plant withered rapidly, its branches turning brown and falling. Her smile widened. "I think it's just about time." She walked away.

* * *

From the bushes, the spectator watched again.

* * *

 **A/N: There's the Starco scene I promised! (The one with the snow.) Aren't you all happy?**

 **\- Unfortunately, Starco is still looking pretty unsalvageable, although Marco is now trying to get them back together.**

 **\- Gia has some sort of magical shard. Maybe from Star's wand? It _did_ break into three pieces. And apparently... eating magical puppies increases her magical abilities. :D**

 **\- And the spectator... well, you'll see who he or she is in the next chapter.**

 **See you next time!**


	9. Rouge Chapter: Toffee

**Alright, everybody! Here's another rouge chapter. Thank you everyone again for the support!**

 **Thank you** Vanityflame **for following the story!**

 **And an extra special thanks to** robertkellett **(of course),** HummingFeather **and** Star's Keyblade 4114 **for reviewing or otherwise sharing your thoughts!**

 **Here we go...**

* * *

The spectator had been watching the girl the whole day. He or she had only gotten to the Earth dimension this morning. Now, the spectator was sure there was something off about Gia. And how had she gotten that shard? There was only one person besides Star and Marco who had been in the explosion and could have survived it. Could it be… Him? No… Whoever it was, the spectator had to tell Star.

* * *

Marco lay in his bed. His knuckles were sore. And yet, he fought through the pain to punch his pillow a dozen more times. He was breathing hard. Tears were falling from his eyes. "All I want is to be with her! Why does it have to be so complicated!" He punched again and again and again, but nothing could vent the anger and sadness and despair he felt. Finally, he gave up, letting the depression take over. He lay there and cried. Star was oblivious. She was oblivious to everything! If only she'd understand-

There came a knock.

Marco tried to hold in the tears and opened the door. He looked down upon... the spectator.

"Ludo?!"

"That is my name."

"Why are you here?"

"To save Star's life."

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because we're allies now. Friends, actually." Ludo puffed up his chest with pride at having a friend.

"Wish we could be," Marco mumbled.

"Come on. Let's get Star."

Marco followed Ludo outside the door.

"So, which one's her door?"

"That one," Marco pointed. It was the door at the end of the hall. It actually caused fear in Marco's heart.

Ludo stode up to the door and rapped on it. A voice from inside said, "Go away, Marco."  
Ludo's head dropped in exasperation. "My name is not Marco."

"Ludo?" The door opened.

"That's more like it."

The tears in Star's eyes vanished. "Ludo!" she exclaimed. "Hugs!" She squeezed Ludo, lifting him off his feet. Ludo stood, or rather, hung awkwardly. Then he tried to reach his short arms around Star.

Marco slammed his door on the way to his bedroom.

"What's gotten into that boy?"

"I don't know." Star tapped her chin. "But… why are you here?"

"Haven't you noticed what that girl Gia has been doing?"

"Gia? Oh… hehe, kinda forgot about her."

"Well, she's not who you think she is."

"What do you mean?" Star asked in her carefree tone.

"She's been casting spells! She has a shard of your wand!"

Star gasped a long, drawn-out gasp. "No," she said, more surprised than unbelieving.

"She has. And the thing is, I think she might be… well, we'll see."

"Pleeeeeeeeease? Can you pleeeease tell me?" Star bounced on her toes excitedly.

"I'm not sure yet, so for now I'm not going to say. But it'll be dangerous…"

"Oooooh. Cool-oh, wait…" she touched her cheek with one hand and looked at her wand in the other. "The thing is… I can't do magic anymore."

Ludo was taken aback. "Really?"

Tears formed in Star's eyes. "Yeah. I lost it all. Something about Hate or…" she sighed.

"Well, then I guess you'll need a magical companion." He laughed, and Star joined in.

"Thanks, Ludo."

"But… if you're not going to use it…"

Star handed over her wand.

"Well, I finally have your wand. Come to think of it, it was a lot easier just asking."

He unstrapped his green portion of star fragment. He slipped it into the empty space in the wand. It changed color, melding with the other half-or less than half. The wand was not completely restored; there was a small shard missing. The one in Gia's arm. The entire wand now started to change. Instead of it becoming a skull like he'd imagined months ago, it turned blue. The star changed to form the green figure of a short kappa in a robe, its beak lifted pridefully, but with a chip out of the head. The handle was lined with darker blue pairs of hands, a symbol signifying the act of "lending a hand," he supposed. He couldn't ask for anything more except the final shard, which he was about to get. **(A/N: See the link below if you want to see Ludo's wand.)**

"Whoaaaaaaaa," Star murmured.

"You like it?" Ludo asked with a grin.

"Yeah. It's so cool! Can't wait to see you use it!"

"Well, can you teach me?"

"There's an instruction book! Come look!"

They dashed in, shutting the door behind them.

Marco had heard every word.

Star pulled out the instruction book. She flipped it open, then remembered her friend of late. Tears sprang up in her eyes. "Glossaryck… I guess we'll have to do this without him."

"Not so!" A tiny snow-white man with a gray beard wearing white robes. The only things colorful about him were his blue heart-shaped eyes and lips, and the gem of the same color embedded in his forehead. He looked a lot like Glossaryck… just enough to be painful, but not enough to believe it was actually him. "Hello. I am Sir Indexus of Terms, but you can call me Indexus. See, you really should've been using the index this whole time. The glossary and index are not the same thing! But that Glossaryck guy trapped me in here with a spell a long, loooooong time ago. What year is it?"

"2017."

"B.C.?"

"A.D."

"Wow… it's been a long time. Excuse me for I moment while I stretch out a bit." He stretched his back then started going through a series of impossible stretches. Meanwhile, Star sighed. _He's just not the same._ "Ah… I'm good. So, what do you need?"

"Well, we were hoping you could teach this guy how to cast some simple spells."

Indexus only stared. Then, finally, he snapped his fingers. "Ah! That was why Glossaryck wanted control of the book. I have no idea how to teach spellcasting."

"Just give us an easy attack spell."

He lay down and the pages of the book flipped themselves, finally landing on a page. The top read, _Light Beam Attack_. "Most attack spells are rather complicated, but here is one of the easiest. Follow the pictures and say the words." He pointed to two pictures of a princess holding a wand, in the first behind her back, and in the second out in front of her.

"All right," Ludo muttered. He got into the starting position, then thrust the wand forward. "Laser Beam Attack!"

A beam of blue light shot out of the wand, shooting right through the wall and leaving it smoking. "Oh, sorry, Star," the spellcaster apologized.

"It's fine, I just gotta…" she was reaching for her wand, then remembered it was no longer hers. "I'll live with it."

Indexus continued, "And here's a good defense spell. No words, just the motion and the thought." These pictures were more complicated. Ludo copied them, starting with his wand pointing toward the roof, then swinging it down. Turning that into a spin, he swept his wand across his body horizontally. A blue shield surrounded him and Star. Indexus threw the spell book at it. Ludo turned away, shutting his eyes and waiting for the impact. The book's impact broke the shield, but it landed right in front of Ludo.

"That's something about this spell," Indexus continued, "you have to uphold it, or it will break. Try again."

Ludo repeated the movements. The blue aura surrounded the two again. When Indexus threw the book, the kappa gritted his teeth, thrusting the wand forward and forcing his will to uphold the spell. The book bounced off harmlessly and anticlimactically.

"Well done."

"Do you think I'm ready?" Ludo asked excitedly

"For what?"

"We're going to take on a magic user." Star answered.

"A single one?"

"Yes."

"How powerful?"

Star thought. "She's just learning magic, but she does seem powerful."

Indexus frowned pensively. "Two-on-one? You should be fine." He directed his next sentence to Ludo: "Remember, you can do more than you think, even with that partial wand."

"I will," Ludo smiled.

Star smiled at Indexus. "You know, you're actually not too bad at teaching."

His face brightened, although it was already the brightest white possible. "Thank you. It was easy, though; your friend is a natural."

"All right, then. Let's take this girl on!" Star shouted.

Ludo let out a whoop as they headed toward the stairs.

* * *

The old Star had returned. But not because of him. Because of her seemingly new best friend Ludo. She had acted so carefree and fun and… happy. Why couldn't Marco do that? Why was she always so depressed around him? Why couldn't he make her happy anymore? What had gone wrong? It came to him: he was the sandwich. Every time she looked at him, she was reminded of how she tried to kill him. That was the truth: Ludo had replaced him: as her friend, as her protector. But… there had to be a way. Marco only had one option left, one spot Star hadn't already filled: her boyfriend. Maybe she would get over it. Especially if she saw that he wasn't mad. Why was he kidding himself? It was impossible. But… he had to at least try. He got out of bed and approached the door. His hand was on the door handle when he heard Star's voice: "You know, you don't have to live in the wilderness anymore. One day, maybe you could live with me!"

She wasn't saying… No. No! Ludo had replaced him: as her friend, as her protector, as her boyfriend. He was suddenly very dizzy. He fell down and lay on the floor, passing in and out of focus.

* * *

"Really?!"

"Yeah! We can give you one of the guest bedrooms. We have, like, thirty of them."

"Wow! You'd do that for me?"

"Hey, that's what friends are for." Star smiled.

"And I don't suppose… could I eat some corn?"

Star's smile widened. "All the corn you can eat."

He was deep in thought, no doubt thinking about biting into a cob of corn, maybe the first in his life.

The two reached the stairs. "Okay, now. Let's focus. Remember your spells?"

"I'm good."

"Okay, just try to hold her off for a bit. I'll go at her physically."

One thought crossed her mind: _What if this is all a trick!_ No, that was stupid. Ludo was her _friend._ She had to trust him. An anomaly worked its way into her head. "Hey, where are the laser puppies? They're usually yapping at me at the bottom of the stairs."

"Oh, uh… she… ate them."

"She what?!"

"She ate them, swallowed them whole. They're fueling her magic, just like any magical object she can get her hands on. I have a feeling she's building up to something. Something big that she'll use her magic for."

"Well, then let's stop-" they had reached the bottom of the stairs. They were met with a wreck of mangled, smoking, and frozen objects strewn about the floor. "Well, if I wasn't convinced before, I am, now. She did all of this?"

"All of this."

"But… where is she?"

"Probably the-" They heard a zap from their right. "-kitchen."

They snuck to the kitchen, watching Gia. Fire danced on her hands. She used it to incinerate the fake fruit on the counter.

"What is wrong with her?"

"Shhh!" Ludo crept to the other side of the counter, his height concealing him. He counted on his fingers. 3… 2… 1… He jumped out from his cover, aiming his spell at the hooded back of the girl's head. It connected, leaving a smoking hole in the fabric and leaving a bald red spot on her head. She fell. Star attacked. She leaped over the counter. But when she landed, she was surrounded by ice. There were a few cracks which allowed her to breathe. "C'mon, Ludo! You got this!"

Gia summoned the death spell. But it had a long incantation to activate it, allowing Ludo the time to put up his shield spell. The spell tumbled toward him. It hit the blue barrier. It started to puncture, denting his shield. Ludo gritted his teeth and mentally pushed the spell away. It worked, the spell bouncing off harmlessly and killing a small potted plant.

Gia lashed out with fire, a much quicker spell. Ludo still had his shield up, and the fire bounced off without much of his effort. It hit Star's block of ice, sizzling and melting it. The warm water trickled down, taking even more of the ice with it.

Ludo broke his shield, casting another spell. Gia dodged, but was hit by his quick follow-up in the hip. Star could see the pain on her face and was tempted to tell Ludo to stop, but she knew that Gia was evil and would kill them if they showed any mercy. But why? Had anything she'd told them been true?

Gia ducked behind the counter to minimize further damage. Ludo was already ready with his shield. Gia uttered the death spell behind cover, then leaped up and pointed it straight at Ludo as she said the final word.

With effort, the death spell reflected off his barricade, coming back at Gia. She frantically dodged, but ended up with a smoking hole through the fabric hanging only inches from her arm. "I can't hold off for much longer," she muttered. She shot two bursts of fire, but they were both deflected into Star's ice cube. Gia knew she couldn't refreeze Star without taking a severe blow.

Star worked her arm free and punched Gia in the head. She barely hit her, as she was just too far away for solid contact. Nevertheless, she ducked away, leaving her open to another blast from Ludo. Her robes were now in tatters, and every spot of skin showing through was red. She couldn't take any more damage. There was only one thing that might work…

When Ludo fired his next blast of blue light, Gia opened her mouth wide, swallowing it.

Gia's robes turned into her skin, her shadowed face becoming longer and greener. Her fingers became pointed, her legs longer, her face reptilian…

And Toffee, in all his glory, stood in front of them, wearing his typical suit. He coughed. His mouth opened impossible wide and a girl tumbled out, along with seven laser puppies who had been drained of their magic. The latter scampered away. The former wore a casual pink dress, as many Mewman girls did, and blue leggings. Her boots were green and had turtles on the feet. Her eyes had turned from green to blue. Gia. Gia! Gia Raven! Star remembered her now! She was the daughter of one of the royal advisors, and they used to play together. Her father retired when Star was about seven, and the girls hadn't seen each other since.

"Star!" she gasped.

"Gia!"

Toffee picked up the weak girl with one hand. He placed the other under her chin and summoned fire into it. The fire danced dangerously close to the girl's face. Tears streamed down it. "Star, please! Save me!" she cried. She was so small, so helpless.

"The wand," Toffee demanded.

Ludo looked to Star. He didn't want to give up his wand when he'd just gotten it, but… he couldn't just let this girl die, could he? Especially if she was a friend of Star's. Star looked panicked, and, upon seeing his gaze, she nodded.

That was it. He had to do it. At least he was giving it away for a good reason. He was content with himself as a person. He didn't need a wand to be happy. He held it flat in both his palms and approached Toffee, whose previously burning hand was extended. Ludo shut his eyes and set the wand on Toffee's palm. There were two sounds: the sound of fist hitting flesh, and the wand hitting the ground. When Ludo opened his eyes, he saw Star smiling down on him, having wriggled out of the remainder of the ice block, and Toffee laying on the ground with a bruised cheek. Gia was quivering on the ground. Star put her hand down low for a high five, and Ludo did as suggested. Toffee groaned. The two turned back to him, seeing him struggle to stand up. He raised his arm, showing off the jagged shard of a star.

Ludo, grabbing Star by the arm, dove in front of Gia. He performed his shield spell just before Toffee let loose a death spell. The spell pushed into the shield like it was Jell-O. It was inches, now centimeters from Ludo's beak as he sweated, using all the will he had to push back the spell. And yet, the death spell inched closer. He felt a hand in his right: Star's. And one in his left: Gia's. He found strength he didn't know he had.

The kappa and two Mewman girls, all holding hands, pushed away the spell. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, Toffee was gone.

No one wanted to break the silence, but Gia eventually did: "He's not dead. I can sense it."

There was another long silence before Star spoke: "At least we know where the rest of the star is."

"I guess we're going after him," Ludo announced.

"Yes," Star confirmed. "We can't let someone like that be running around with magic."

"I have to go," Gia spoke up, "I keep… sensing things about him. It's almost like a sixth sense. You won't be able to find him without me."

Star didn't want to pull the young girl into this, but it seemed she had no choice.

"All right, but I don't want you getting hurt. Let us do the dangerous stuff."

"Okay." Gia smiled. She was going on a quest with _the_ Star Butterfly!

Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Marco rounded the the corner and came into view.

"Hey," Star mentioned dryly, "Look who finally decided to show up."

" I heard something, and…" Marco looked at Gia. "Who are you?"

"Gia," she responded.

"You don't look like Gia."

"That wasn't me, silly, that was Toffee inhabiting my body."

"Toffee? Where is he?"

"We don't know," Star answered vaguely."

"Okay, _someone_ explain to me what is going on!"  
"We're going after him," Star announced somberly.

"Well, I'm coming!"

"No, you're not," she said coldly. "I'm not having you ruin my life again when things are finally starting to look up."

"Star! I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not! I'm not letting _you_ ditch me again!"

"Star," Ludo asked, "is Marco bothering you?" He pointed his wand at the boy.

"If he continues to, I don't see why you couldn't practice a bit on him," she said matter-of-factly.

Marco's face became infuriated. He pounded up the stairs, and Star laughed. "I think I'll get along just fine without him," she decided aloud.

"So," Ludo asked, "when do we go?"

"Let me get the spell book, then we're off!"

She took the stairs two at a time in excitement. When she passed Marco's door, however, she frowned. Sighing, she resolved to write a note. She continued to her room, wrote the note, grabbed the spell book with Indexus inside it (which Indexus had managed to shrink, something beyond Glossaryck's abilities), and slipped the note under Marco's door. She reunited with her two recently acquired friends and they left.

"So, Ludo, here's some good food-generating spells I found…"

* * *

Marco rubbed his eyes and saw the pink slip of paper by his door. He opened it, reading Star's scrawly script:

 _My dear friend Marco,_ _I'm sorry things turned out how they did. Maybe something could have happened between us, but complications got in the way. I wish I could be with you, but I think it's impossible now._ _I just want you to remember that you are the best friend I've ever had, and our experiences together are still fresh in my mind and will never be forgotten. It wasn't your fault; it was mine. It's too late to make up for my mistakes, so I have to start over. But you are and always will be my very best friend._ _\- Star_

 **END OF BOOK**

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I wasn't planning on ending the book here, but it all just came together! Don't worry, though! I will continue the story under the name of** "Quest for the Broken Star," **in which Ludo, Gia, and Star set out in search of Toffee and the star shard.** **I guess** robertkellett **deserves credit for subliminally convincing me to use this name by writing,** "A Quest for the Falling Star." **But really, I thought of it on my own. It was subliminal messaging, I tell you! :) I changed my mind on the poll! I've already The reason I'm stopping it here i because from now on, the story is going to take a different turn, focusing more on adventure than romance. Marco will not disappear though, and neither will Starco.** **I'll tie it all in. :) In addition, the chapters will all be "rouge" or not tied to any of the episodes. A final thank you to everyone who made this story possible!**

 **And one last thing: Check out this google doc to see some of my art, including Gia, Ludo's wand, and Indexus:**

h*ttps*:/*/do*cs*.go*og*le*.*com/document/d/14ThwXD95NUbvNE-N5ladYtj0gRmjywO3S53ms2c5T7Q/edit?usp=sharing **(remove asterisks).**


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